Ch 50: How To Be A Good Lackey

Outside the stone door, the Kunlun disciples looked at one another. This path clearly wouldn’t work. As for other routes… even if the demonic cultivators were somewhat lax in their patrols, they weren’t blind.

Moreover, since the Demon Lord behind that stone door could call their senior brother away, he likely already knew they were here. The fact that he hadn’t sent the demonic dragon to deal with them as well was probably out of consideration for their senior brother.

Would the Demon Lord take this opportunity to deliberately torment him?

They sighed, frowning. Back in Kunlun sect, their senior brother had been spirited and unrestrained, proud and unyielding. And now he had to act as the Demon Lord’s lackey. It must be unbearable for him.

With heavy hearts, they exchanged the storybooks in their hands. The only thing they could do now was to give their senior brother less to worry about. So they lined up neatly and, of their own accord, returned to the ghost prison to continue eating chicken legs.

---

Shao Ye first poked his head out from behind the stone door and glanced around the chamber. The stone room was spacious and dim, lit only by a single hexagonal palace lantern casting a faint glow. Xue Du sat cross-legged in the center, eyes half-closed. Behind him, carved into the stone wall, was a massive nine-headed dragon, its dozen or so crimson eyes all fixed on Shao Ye.

Being stared at by so many eyes at once was unsettling. Shao Ye widened his eyes and glared back. The dragon seemed to pause for a moment, then struggled as if about to break free from the wall to teach him a lesson. But Xue Du raised a hand slightly, and the dragon quietly withdrew, closing its eyes again.

Shao Ye felt secretly pleased. He hurried over and asked, “My lord, what happened to your clothes?”

“They’re dirty,” Xue Du replied.

Shao Ye looked over the robe and didn’t see any obvious stains, but such details didn’t matter. As the Protector, when the lord gave an order, he only needed to obey.

There were clean clothes in the cabinet in the stone room. Shao Ye hurried over to fetch them, then just as eagerly helped Xue Du remove the robe he was wearing.

Xue Du had already risen to his feet, looking down at him as he happily folded the removed clothing and set it aside. Was he really this pleased just to help him change clothes?

“My lord, should the inner garments be changed as well?” Shao Ye asked.

Tsk.

“Change them,” Xue Du said.

“And the trousers?” Shao Ye asked again.

Xue Du lifted his eyes. Was that question intentional? The trousers were white, it should be obvious whether they were dirty or not.

Pretending not to know.

“Change them,” he said.

Shao Ye gave a small “oh,” not finding anything strange. He crouched down and helped remove Xue Du’s trousers. The scars on his legs were fewer than those on his upper body, but seeing them still made Shao Ye’s chest tighten.

He even felt a bit guilty. If only he had found the lord sooner, he wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.

After removing the trousers, Shao Ye looked up—and paused.

So big—oh.

Xue Du lowered his gaze to meet Shao Ye’s somewhat dazed eyes, amusement flickering within. Just as he thought, a little pervert.

Shao Ye quickly came back to himself and looked away, but as he helped Xue Du dress, his eyes kept sneaking glances downward. He told himself it wasn’t his fault. It really was… quite impressive. As expected of the lord.

While helping him with the trousers, he accidentally brushed against it. Translated on Hololo novels. He immediately pulled his hand back, his gaze drifting, then pretended nothing had happened as he fastened the sash.

Xue Du was certain it had been intentional.

At last, after changing all of Xue Du’s clothes from inside out, Shao Ye felt a great sense of accomplishment. He wanted to stay and talk with the lord a bit longer, but worried about disturbing his cultivation. So he said, “My lord, this subordinate will take his leave.”

Xue Du gave a faint hum and did not stop him.

Reluctantly, Shao Ye turned to go.

Xue Du watched his back. He had taken all the clothes he had just changed out of—what was he planning to do with them?

Just as he reached the doorway, arms full of clothes, Shao Ye stopped again and turned back, looking at Xue Du with a pitiful expression.

Xue Du understood immediately. Didn’t want to leave?

He raised a brow and asked, “Anything else?”

Shao Ye gave a sheepish grin and said in a coaxing tone, “My lord, could you remove the spirit-locking ring from my neck?”

“What for?” Xue Du asked. Even with his spiritual power sealed, as the Chief Protector personally appointed by him, no one in Xiaoyao Mountain would dare provoke him.

Shao Ye said, aggrieved, “If they come to disturb you, I won’t be able to stop them.”

In truth, he was the one causing the most disturbance.

Pacing outside, sighing one moment, letting out odd chuckles the next, making it impossible for Xue Du to focus.

“Come here,” Xue Du said to him. “Let me take a look.”

Shao Ye immediately jogged over, offering his head right up in front of Xue Du.

Xue Du’s long fingers hooked onto the black spirit-locking ring around his neck. He lowered his gaze and examined it for a moment, then commented, “I think it looks quite good on you.”

Good? He didn’t think so at all!

Shao Ye instinctively lowered his head to look, but couldn’t see anything.

A pity he hadn’t put it on him himself. Thinking this, Xue Du’s eyes darkened. With a slight exertion of his fingers, the spirit-locking ring around Shao Ye’s neck shattered instantly.

The black ring turned into wisps of smoke in Xue Du’s hand, leaving not even a trace behind.

Freed from its restraint, Shao Ye felt as though even the air he breathed had suddenly turned sweet.

He looked at Xue Du with shining gratitude. Meeting those bright eyes, Xue Du felt something soften in his chest, and his tone grew gentler as he said, “Go on.”

Shao Ye nodded. He walked toward the exit, looking back every few steps. Then he stopped and turned to ask, “My lord, when will you finish your seclusion?”

With him pacing around outside like that, Xue Du felt he might never finish it in this lifetime.

If he told him to leave directly, he’d probably cry.

Annoying.

Xue Du said, “Go take a look around the rest of Xiaoyao Palace. I’m worried the Four Demon Kings might stir trouble while I’m in seclusion.”

In truth, the Four Demon Kings had already learned their lesson. This wasn’t Xue Du’s first time entering seclusion. In the past, when he had done so, the demonic cultivators had often tried to trouble him, and none of them had ended well.

So when Wan Qian and the others heard that Shao Ye intended to guard Xue Du at the back mountain, they had even felt a bit amused.

Shao Ye, lacking experience in this, immediately perked up at Xue Du’s words. “My lord, rest assured. I guarantee I’ll complete the task.”

Then he asked with concern, “But my lord, do you really not need anyone guarding here?”

“No,” Xue Du said. “No one can get in.”

Only then did Shao Ye feel at ease. He left the stone chamber and returned to Xiaoyao Palace to begin his self-appointed campaign of “cleaning up corruption.”

The first thing he did was reclaim the treasures and weapons that had been confiscated from him by the demonic cultivators, along with the belongings of the other Kunlun disciples.

After making a couple of rounds through Xiaoyao Palace and confirming that the Four Demon Kings were behaving themselves for now, he went to the central plaza and began practicing his sword. His blade flashed like cold light, sword intent sweeping across the air, as yellow leaves fell in droves.

Just as he was fully absorbed in his practice, he suddenly heard someone call out, “Senior brother?”

The tone was full of disbelief.

Turning around, he saw his second junior brother, Chu Wenji, staring at him in shock, with a group of pursuing demonic cultivators behind him.

“Second junior brother, you’re here too?” Shao Ye greeted him, even asking, “Did Master come along as well?”

A tiny question mark seemed to crawl onto Chu Wenji’s head. Was this scene real, or was he dreaming? Translated on Hololo novels. Why was his senior brother standing so calmly in Xiaoyao Palace, talking to him like this?

Was Xiaoyao Palace really so lenient with prisoners?

Then Chu Wenji realized, it wasn’t leniency. His senior brother had defected!

The Snake King Luo Hongxia, one of the Four Demon Kings, caught up and shouted to Shao Ye, “Protector! This man has stolen a treasure of Xiaoyao Palace. Stop him at once!”

Shao Ye paused, then looked Chu Wenji up and down. “Second junior brother, did you steal something from our lord?”

Our… lord?

Was that something his senior brother should be saying?

On his way to Xiaoyao Palace, Chu Wenji had learned of a treasure within it, the Blood Bodhi. He had planned to steal it to use as leverage in negotiations. But the moment he got his hands on it, he was discovered.

He had fled all the way here. With a bit of luck, he could have shaken off the pursuers. But he had never expected to run into his senior brother.

Chu Wenji took a deep breath, calming himself. He tightened his grip on his sword. Even if his senior brother stood in his way, he would not hold back.

Shao Ye, having just been freed from the spirit-locking ring and not having had a proper fight yet, was itching for one. Since his second junior brother had run right into him, he could only count himself unlucky.

Chu Wenji was also a rare swordsmanship genius, but against Shao Ye, he still fell short.

After dozens of exchanges, Chu Wenji made a misstep and had his weapon knocked from his hand. Shao Ye spun his sword in a flourish and kindly advised the kneeling Chu Wenji, “Second junior brother, you can’t beat me. Stop struggling pointlessly and surrender.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll plead for leniency before the lord on your behalf.”

Enough was enough. Chu Wenji raised his head, glaring at Shao Ye with fury. “Senior brother, you really have joined Xiaoyao Palace. You’ve fallen this far! How can you face our master after this?”

Shao Ye fell silent. Chu Wenji thought perhaps he still had some conscience left, that he might yet turn back.

Then he heard Shao Ye say, somewhat puzzled, “Master never said I couldn’t join Xiaoyao Palace.”

Now it was Chu Wenji’s turn to fall silent. Who could have imagined his senior brother doing something like this? Was it their master’s fault then?

The demonic cultivators stepped forward together, seized Chu Wenji, and after retrieving the Blood Bodhi from him, prepared to escort him to the ghost prison to reunite with the other Kunlun disciples.

Shao Ye stroked his chin, looking at Chu Wenji’s unwilling back, and called out, “Oh right, second junior brother, wait a moment.”

Had his senior brother come to his senses and was about to apologize? Chu Wenji stopped but didn’t turn around. His expression was cold. He would never forgive his senior brother for such betrayal.

Instead, he heard Shao Ye ask, “Do you have a bottle of Liuxiang Valley’s muscle-regenerating ointment? You brought it, right? Give it to me.”

Chu Wenji turned back, staring at Shao Ye, who was asking for it without the slightest politeness, utterly speechless.

He really wanted to ask, senior brother, don’t you think your skin is a bit too thick?

Shao Ye walked over and yanked the storage pouch from Chu Wenji’s waist. Seeing Chu Wenji’s expression darken further, he consoled him, “Second junior brother, don’t be so stingy. You don’t need it anyway.”

Chu Wenji replied irritably, “How do I not need it?”

Shao Ye glared at him. “You’re a grown man. What’s wrong with having a few scars?”

That was a fair question, so what did his senior brother need the ointment for?

Could it be that his senior brother had been bewitched by some enchantress from Xiaoyao Palace and had become this ridiculous?

Shao Ye rummaged through the pouch, found the ointment he needed, then hung the pouch back on Chu Wenji’s waist. “Thanks, second junior brother. I’ll have them lock you up with our junior brother later.”

Chu Wenji: “……”

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, hearing that, he felt a small flicker of anticipation.

Shao Ye did as he said. He couldn’t release them, but he did have some say in how their cells were assigned.

As soon as Chu Wenji was shoved into the ghost prison, he saw Song Heming sitting there, holding a storybook and laughing out loud. All the comforting words Chu Wenji had prepared got stuck in his throat.

Hearing the noise, Song Heming looked up and exclaimed, “Second senior brother, how did you end up here too?”

“Got caught by senior brother,” Chu Wenji said coldly. He had wanted to say, “You’ve suffered,” but looking at Song Heming’s noticeably fuller face, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Song Heming didn’t know what had happened. He immediately patted Chu Wenji on the shoulder and said, “Senior brother has his reasons. Don’t blame him.”

Chu Wenji snapped, “He’s already become Xiaoyao Palace’s Chief Protector, and you’re still defending him!”

Song Heming sighed softly and explained, “He’s doing all this for us. Without senior brother, we might already have died at the hands of those demonic cultivators. That ‘Protector’ title is just his disguise, meant to deceive them.”

Chu Wenji suspected Song Heming had been poisoned or bewitched. “I don’t think he looks like he’s pretending.”

Song Heming disagreed. “That’s because you misunderstand him. He’s already suffering enough, acting as the Demon Lord’s lackey. If he knew you thought this way, he’d definitely be hurt.”

“…He’s suffering?” Chu Wenji asked sincerely.

Because to him, it really looked like his senior brother was enjoying himself.

“Of course he’s suffering!” Song Heming said with conviction. “That ‘Chief Protector’ title sounds impressive, but even when the Demon Lord changes clothes, it’s senior brother who has to serve him. If not for senior brother, you might never have seen us again.”

Song Heming recounted everything that had happened in detail, and by the end, even Chu Wenji felt uncertain.

Could it be that his senior brother was truly enduring humiliation for their sake?

---

A cold moon hung high over the mountain.

On the very night Xue Du emerged from seclusion, a major incident occurred in Xiaoyao Palace. Their treasured Blood Bodhi had been stolen again.

This time, all suspicion pointed to Shao Ye. The Four Demon Kings demanded that Xue Du interrogate him strictly, but Xue Du sat above them in silence.

Wan Qian was especially eager in this matter. “My lord, tonight only the Protector went to Taiyuan Hall. If not him, then who?”

Shao Ye defended himself. “I saw a suspicious figure and chased after it.”

“And where is that suspicious figure now?” Wan Qian asked.

“I didn’t catch him. He got away,” Shao Ye said angrily.

At this moment, Mr. Jinchan, Chen Tongming, also stepped forward. “Protector, speaking fairly, your explanation is very difficult to believe.”

Shao Ye shouted, “That’s slander!”

Wan Qian sneered, “Slander? I was wondering why a dignified senior disciple of the Kunlun Sect would suddenly join Xiaoyao Palace. So it was for our treasures all along!”

Shao Ye opened his mouth to refute him, then paused, feeling that the statement wasn’t entirely wrong. After a moment, he said, “Well… that’s true.”

“You admitted it! My lord, did you hear that? He admitted it!” Wan Qian shouted, waiting for Xue Du to give the order so he could seize Shao Ye on the spot.

Shao Ye shot Wan Qian a glare. “Admitted what? Isn’t the greatest treasure of Xiaoyao Palace our lord himself?”

What treasure could possibly compare to the lord?

Wan Qian: “?”

The Four Demon Kings were all left speechless by that reasoning.

Damn it! This shameless flatterer!

Xue Du, seated above with his chin propped on one hand, subtly adjusted his posture at those words, suppressing the urge to let his lips curl upward.

Even at a time like this, he was still openly confessing to him.

He really must be utterly infatuated.

—

Author’s note:

[“The Mystery of the Dantian: Twenty-Eight Hypotheses on the Body’s Energy Center”
“On the Interaction and Contest Between Soul and Physical Form”
“A Brief Discussion on Five Applications of Spiritual Energy in Agriculture”]

: What even are these titles? My head hurts just looking at them

: Master, please stop, I just finished my proposal defense and came to relax on the forum

: These are papers No. 1 wrote recently. Still the same beast as ever

: Is No. 1 cheating? Are you sure he doesn’t have his memories?

: Whether he does or not, I just know that aside from not choosing between boldface fonts, every format detail is perfect. He even remembered to bold the title

: Incredible!

: Maybe this is just muscle memory. Even Neverland can’t erase it completely

: Just like No. 6’s nonstop flattery, that’s muscle memory too

: Did you see the lord’s expression? That clearly worked

: No. 6: “On Building a Deep Emotional Connection: A Case Study of Xi Guanming, Pei Fangyan, and Xue Du”

: “Brief discussion” might not cut it. That’s clearly in-depth interaction

: I’d rather read “A Deep Analysis of a Proper Underling’s Sexual Appeal to His Boss”

: Titles alone aren’t enough, write a few paragraphs already!

: If I could write that, would I still be scrolling this forum?

: By the way, did you all bet your tokens on No. 6 this time?

: Nope

: ???? Still this stubborn?

: Don’t you believe in No. 6’s appeal to his boss?

: It’s not that, I’m just worried he might help his boss destroy the world

: …

: You’ve convinced me!

≽^•⩊•^≼

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